Post by mandajayinc on Mar 3, 2010 9:53:32 GMT -5
Okay, my son is 6 years old. At the beginning of the school year after a meeting with his teacher we decided that all the thoughts in the back of my mind weren't my imagination after all. And I set up a neuro-psychological exam for my son @ Texas Children's Hospital and they diagnosed my son with PDD-NOS. After months and months of fighting with his school I finally get my ARD meeting. The school psychologists disagreed with the findings at TCH and said that he was in fact not in the autistic spectrum and he simply had a math learning disability. I could have just screamed right then and there. After spending hundreds of dollars on this testing they are now telling me that their school psychologist knows more than a psychiatrist at TCH!!!??!!!
The school psychologists studied my son for 2 hours. No my son is not a severe case. And there argument is, well, he looks you in the eye and he smiles. Really? After all these years that is still their argument? I couldn't believe it. And they had the audacity to tell me when I first met Ian he didn't look like a child in the Autistic Spectrum? I asked them what a child in the spectrum looks like? They shut up very quickly. Yes my child makes eye contact and he smiles at adults.
But please let me explain to you that we are going on almost on full year in school and he has never, ever made one interaction with another child in his class. NEVER. I will watch him on the playground (yes, I am that stalker parent), and I watch my child sit on a park bench alone and stare at the other children playing. Just last week the teacher called me to inform me that she had an 'incident' with Ian becoming frustrated with testing and hitting himself in the stomach and throwing himself on the floor. HELLOOO what is wrong with these people.
Anyway, I refused any paperwork stating he had a math learning disability. Their arguments were that he scored above his age on reading and spelling. You know do they not know that autistic children are intelligent and have problems only in some areas? If any?
I really need help here, I am meeting again with them on the 15th of March, with the Special Education doctor and the school psychologist who performed the testing on Ian. I have an appointment for Ian for an Autistic Study Group @ TCH but they are so backed up that it is 6 months away! I don't want my child to suffer thru school while I wait to tell them I told you so. I don't want to go through a battle with them over their pride because they think their score was right vs Texas Children's.
How do I convince these people that because my son is not severely autistic he IS in fact in the spectrum. I have thrown countless incidences at them and reports what do it do? Has anyone faced this? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
The school psychologists studied my son for 2 hours. No my son is not a severe case. And there argument is, well, he looks you in the eye and he smiles. Really? After all these years that is still their argument? I couldn't believe it. And they had the audacity to tell me when I first met Ian he didn't look like a child in the Autistic Spectrum? I asked them what a child in the spectrum looks like? They shut up very quickly. Yes my child makes eye contact and he smiles at adults.
But please let me explain to you that we are going on almost on full year in school and he has never, ever made one interaction with another child in his class. NEVER. I will watch him on the playground (yes, I am that stalker parent), and I watch my child sit on a park bench alone and stare at the other children playing. Just last week the teacher called me to inform me that she had an 'incident' with Ian becoming frustrated with testing and hitting himself in the stomach and throwing himself on the floor. HELLOOO what is wrong with these people.
Anyway, I refused any paperwork stating he had a math learning disability. Their arguments were that he scored above his age on reading and spelling. You know do they not know that autistic children are intelligent and have problems only in some areas? If any?
I really need help here, I am meeting again with them on the 15th of March, with the Special Education doctor and the school psychologist who performed the testing on Ian. I have an appointment for Ian for an Autistic Study Group @ TCH but they are so backed up that it is 6 months away! I don't want my child to suffer thru school while I wait to tell them I told you so. I don't want to go through a battle with them over their pride because they think their score was right vs Texas Children's.
How do I convince these people that because my son is not severely autistic he IS in fact in the spectrum. I have thrown countless incidences at them and reports what do it do? Has anyone faced this? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.